“There’s space on the street for rent. You pay the meter – you’re renting the space to store your automobile there,” said Matt Nardella, principal architect of Moss Design, who is organizing PARK(ing) Day on Southport Avenue. “We feel like there are some better uses.”

Nardella thinks the better use is for people rather than cars.

“We pay the parking meter for the day, and roll out a park,” he said.

The cost of reserving the spaces isn’t tremendous.

“At that particular location it’s a dollar an hour I want to say,” Nardella said. “So over eight hours times four spaces, we end up paying about 30 bucks.”

The park has plants, and sometimes a lawn. This year, live music and bike repair will be featured, all in place of a parking space, or several.

“It’s really based on how many we can grab in the morning and how big we can spread out,” Nardella said, “because obviously we have to compete with cars that might be parked there.”

Nardella knows his group could just go to a park – for free. But they want to show there’s a need for more open, public space.

“We’d definitely like to incorporate some more games next year – things that are more linear,” he said. “We thought about badminton, but something about shuttlecocks landing in the middle of Southport doesn’t sound safe to me.”

Nardella and his group will be in front of the Southport Grocery and Café, at 3552 N. Southport Ave. in the Lakeview neighborhood, which is participating in the PARK(ing) Day along with Moss Design. PARK(ing) Day runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.

Other mini-parks will be set up in front of Revolution Brewing, at 2323 N. Milwaukee Ave. in the Logan Square neighborhood; Buttercup Playlot in Edgewater, and around the University of Illinois at Chicago campus.

A body was discovered Sunday in the search-and-recovery mission for a west suburban woman who went missing off a northwest Indiana beach after she and two other swimmers got caught in a rip current Friday evening.

Follow CBS Chicago

Are you a SUPERGIRL fan? CBS is sending one winner and their guest to the Supergirl pilot and advanced screening with front row seating at one of Chicago’s biggest fan conventions, Wizard World Chicago Comic Con! Register for a chance to win this VIP experience which also includes two (2), 4-day passes with VIP badge lanyards and early admission to the show […]

Football fans Tito's Handmade Vodka wants to find the Best Football bar in Chicago and needs your help. Place your vote for your favorite place to watch the game! You may be one of 50 lucky winners to win a invite to join Tito's for their game day watch party on October 4th. It's the 'Best football bar in Chicago' contest presented b […]

If a no hitter is thrown on the South side on August 14th, 15th or 16th, you might win $25,000 in the South Side No Hitter contest presented by U.S. bank. Click on the adjacent banner to register for your chance to win twenty five thousand dollars See website for official rules. U.S. Bank. Member FDIC.